The Neutronium Fallacy

The opposition can really come up with some doozies.

One of the strangest claims in the Star Wars non-canon Expanded
Universe is that Star Wars ships
have neutronium in their hulls. Neutronium is a term used to describe the
substance thought to exist in neutron stars. However,
the most important aspect of it for our purposes is the fact that
it is often referred to as being impervious to any and all Federation
weaponry.

Neutron Stars

To get a good neutron star, you need to take a really old star . . .
preferably one of sufficient age that it has an iron core (because once
you hit iron, you actually have to put more energy into fusion than you
get out of it, and most stars don't bother). The necessary stellar mass
is apparently still being worked out (many ranges are quoted), but suffice
it to say you'd need a star much larger than our own sun to end up with a
suitable iron core (the core must mass about 1.4 solar masses in order
to cause a collapse). Then,
one supernova later, you have a fair chance of ending up with
a neutron star. The pressures and densities involved in the catastrophic
collapse of the star turn normal, well-adjusted iron atoms into a
neutronium soup. This neutronium soup is actually composed of the former
protons and electrons of the iron core, which find themselves requiring
too much energy to maintain their separation in the intense pressure . . .
so they don't. The combination of protons and electrons forms neutrons
and neutrinos. The neutrinos escape (as they are prone to doing), taking
heat energy with them, but the neutrons remain.

These neutrons . . . about 1.4 solar masses worth . . . find themselves
compressed into a sphere with a radius of ten kilometers or so. This
sphere will have a surface gravity that is zillions of times Earth's
gravity, causing anyone who magically appeared on the surface of the
neutron star to bear a striking resemblance to former President Taft for a
zillionth of a second, until they were squished into nothingness. That's
assuming the extreme temperatures didn't roast him, first.

With those exceptions, someone standing there wouldn't notice anything
too exotic. Well, not counting the fact that the neutron star spins like
crazy (hence pulsars). The surface is primarily composed of plain old
iron, which at the outer crust still manages to exist. The deeper in you
go, though, the more the density increases, until all you see are free
neutrons hanging out with each other (not like they have a choice). Even
deeper within a neutron star, the *really* weird stuff can happen.

In any case, a neutron star is a superhot, superdense, supermagnetic
stellar corpse, formed by the collapse of a star which, had it been
larger, could have been a black hole. Neutronium is the phase of matter
which exists under the crushing gravitational pressures of a neutron star.
The common statement made by many is that a teaspoonful of neutronium
would weigh a billion tons. This is correct, mathematically, given the
density . . . but the neutronium would not remain neutronium outside the
neutron star. This is an important point.

Digressing a bit, certain pro-Wars debaters try to claim that Star
Destroyer hulls are made of durasteel, which is one part neutronium, one
part lomite, and one part zersium. The obvious response is to point
out that neutronium would be expected to need a neutron star of ten
kilometers radius to
exist, and that Star Destroyers are only 1.6 kilometers in size, or that
once you have neutronium, you can't have anything else, by default.

"No," they say, "any sufficiently advanced technology is
indistinguishable from magic. The books say there's neutronium in the
hull, so obviously there's neutronium in the hull. Phasers and
photon torpedoes can't hurt neutronium, so ha-ha, we win."

Okay, then. Maybe, somehow, some sort of superstrong artificial
gravity field technology could be created that would turn anything into
neutronium and prevent it from decaying, so you wouldn't even have
to try to go digging for it in a neutron star (good luck trying). As
for the lomite and zersium . . . well, that's peculiar, and I'll come
back to that. So, is that how it works?

"No," they say, "according to 'Timetales', quoting the "Cracken's
Threat Dossier", neutronium, lomite, and zersium were found together in a
rich vein under the reddish soil of the fourth moon of a planet called
Dathomir. The Star Wars
Sourcebook, Rebel Dawn, et cetera say neutronium is a heavy
metallic element, and that those three elements make
up Imperial dura-armor and durasteel. Ha-ha, we win."

Oh, reeeeeeaaaallly?

Extraordinarily sophisticated technology is one thing . . . far be it
from me to dispute Clarke. However, Warsies are claiming that you can
kick the dirt on a moon and stub your toe on neutronium. They are
claiming that somehow, magically, neutronium has escaped from a neutron
star and decided to bury itself just under the surface of a moon.

At no point is this moon referred to as being ultradense,
ultramagnetic, ultragravitational, et cetera. It's just a moon, and once
you kick some dirt away, you don't find an iron shell of a neutron star,
nosirree bob, you kick straight to neutronium, conveniently disguised as a
vein of some heavy metallic element.

Further, when the hell did compressed neutrons become a metallic
element? You can look all day on the periodic table and not find a
metallic element called neutronium, or sharing any of the characteristics
of neutronium, for the simple reason that every metallic (or even
non-metallic) element, by default, has protons and electrons, whereas
real neutronium doesn't!

Finally, why would the Imperial Fleet from TESB be worried about the
asteroids? If they had neutronium hulls (not to mention hull strengths a
la the Ep2ICS), being nervous in the asteroid field would be like an M1A1
Abrams tank being nervous about going out in the rain.

So, if you're ever out in the fray and hear that Star Wars ships are
impervious to Star Trek weapons because their hulls contain neutronium,
just remind them that:

"Star Wars neutronium is a metallic element found in veins under the
dirt of a moon."

Update: In an effort to try to keep neutronium any way they can,
Warsies will say many things. For instance, they have argued that the
neutronium under the moon's surface was from a crashed ship, even though
this concept is contrary to what we are told about the ore on the moon.
They also choose not to mention how neutronium, which requires extreme
pressure in order to exist, would manage to maintain itself under the
surface of a moon as part of a destroyed starship.

One "counterargument" used by pro-Wars debaters is to say something to
the effect of "oh, yeah, well, Star Trek neutronium isn't real, either".
Alas, this, too, is inaccurate:

Let's take a look at the known facts:

Star Wars Neutronium

1. Found in veins on a moon. (Cracken's Threat Dossier)
2. A heavy metallic element. (SWS, Rebel Dawn, etc.)
3. When alloyed with the other metals iomite and zersium, can be made
into durasteel. (CTD)
4. Durasteel rods can be bent by an angry woman.
("Daala turned and ripped one of the electric-blue glowtorches from
the
floor behind her. 'Enough!' she shouted. She raised the durasteel staff
high and smashed it down upon the tabletop. The glowcrystal exploded into
shards with crackling blue sparks, and transparent fragments flew in all
directions. She hammered the rod down again and again, denting the table,
bending the staff, and fragmenting the end." (Darksaber, p. 133)

Star Trek Neutronium

1. Found in neutron stars, and decays outside of that environment.
("Evolution")
2. Can be "alloyed" with carbon, serving as the ultra-strong material
of the Dyson Sphere ("Relics")
3. Can be crafted into a very roughly conical object, impervious to
weapons, with a structure capable of withstanding 97.835 megaton impulse
reactor explosions. ("The Doomsday
Machine")
4. Can be crafted into a building by the Iconians which remain
standing for ~200,000 years, with no apparent damage. ("To the Death")
5. The Dominion has managed to create at least two doors from it,
impervious to all weapons.
6. Can be crafted into not-so-rough spacecraft (curiously, also
roughly conical, though I doubt that's an important point). ("Think Tank")
7. The surface stratum of an artificial asteroid was "some sort of
neutronium alloy". ("The Phage")

In light of these facts, it is clear that there is nothing in common
between Star Wars neutronium and real life neutronium. Further, it is
apparent that there is nothing in common between Star Wars neutronium and
Star Trek neutronium. Why?

In the case of SW neutronium, there is no available method to
rationalize the horrendous inconsistencies between it and real-life
neutronium. Real-life neutronium isn't a metal, cannot be found in veins
on a moon, cannot be alloyed with "other" metals, and you'd have a helluva
time bending it.

In the case of ST neutronium, there are available methods of
rationalizing the apparent inconsistencies. ST neutronium is within
neutron stars, just like the real thing. However, ST neutronium can be
"alloyed" with carbon. But, by default, this does not imply a metallic
alloy of any sort, since carbon is not a metal, either, and one of them
has to be in order to be an alloy in the usual way. The concept
of impure neutronium is quite peculiar, but in reality all you need is
neutronium at the point where it is a neutron
superfluid, where protons and entire nuclei can still (barely) exist.

ST neutronium can also apparently exist under conditions where it
should not,
because the objects mass far less than what is required for such a
material to form and be maintained (doors, buildings, ships), and we do
not see the gravitational effects one would expect from such structures.
Finally, these structures are not compressed to the point of being
spherical, but instead appear in a variety of shapes. Does this cause ST
neutronium to be neutronium in name only, and not the real thing at all?
No. Given that ST neutronium is identified as neutron star material, we
have just cause to try to find a rationalization for its existence outside
of neutron stars. It simply will not do to claim that there are two
separate materials, since this represents a multiplication of entities
unsupportable by the dictates of Occam's Razor, or good sense.

So, what is needed is "neutronium containment". How do we get it? Easy.

Fortunately, a perfectly viable explanation is already in play, thanks
to the technologies we have seen in the Star Trek universe. We know, for
example, that shields operate due to some sort of graviton-based spatial
distortion. This is demonstrated by La Forge's screen
in Generations.
We know also that the Federation has the ability to utilize gravitons in
precise applications, such as Geordi's "heavy graviton beam" discussed
(but not implemented) in "Best of Both Worlds". And, naturally, there were
inertial dampening systems in place on spacecraft as early as 2063, with
artificial gravity definitely observed as early as 2151.

How do these facts help?

1. Some sort of neutronium containment system would be required to
maintain (and/or create) neutronium outside its natural environment, and
this could be a very strong artificial gravitational field.
2. This field must be nullified beyond a certain point (at least in the
case of starship interiors, doors, and structures which, as observed, do
not cause people to fly into them and turn to chunky salsa, and
worse).
3. So far, the only examples of neutronium use have been from more
technologically advanced races than the Federation, such as the Iconians
(creators of galaxy-crossing stargates) and the builders of the Dyson
Sphere.

It is, therefore, not a leap to posit that the required technologies
for neutronium use are seen in their infancy in the Federation, but that
these technologies have been well-developed by certain races, cultures, or
groups, to the point that neutronium becomes a viable material for use in
various applications.

It makes sense, it fits the canon facts, and does not ignore the basic
scientific theories of neutronium.